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Mehran Border Crossing Registers Rise in Exports to Iraq

Iran has exported US$986 million worth of goods and products to Iraq through Mehran border crossing in the first 9 months of the current year (started on March 21, 2018), which shows a 9% rise compared with corresponding period in last year. Iran exported a total of US$986 million worth of commodities to Iraq through Mehran border crossing in the first nine months of this year (March 21, 2018-December 22, 2018), Director General of Ilam Customs Administration Ruhollah Qolami said.

The official noted that Iran exported US$1.2 billion worth of commodities to Iraq through Mehran border crossing last year (ended on March 20, 2018). He predicted a 10% rise in Iran’s exports to Iraq through Mehran border crossing.

The Customs Administration of Iran (CAI) released a report on Saturday that showed Iran has exported 15.485 million tons of non-oil commodities worth US$6.929 billion to Iraq in the first 3 quarters of the current Iranian year (started on March 21, 2018), which is 59.17% more in weight and 48.7% higher in value, compared with corresponding period last year.

Iran exported 15.485 million tons of non-oil commodities worth US$6.929 billion to Iraq during the past nine months (March 21- Dec. 21, 2018), keeping the Arab country its top export destination for several consecutive months.

According to the data released by the Customs Administration of Iran (CAI), the figure accounts for 17.81% of the volume and 20.77% of the value of Iran’s exports during the nine-month period.

Iran’s exports to Iraq in the past nine months surged by 59.17% in weight and 48.7% in value comparing the last year’s corresponding period. Last year's exports to Iraq during the similar time span stood at 9.729 million tons with a value of US$4.659 billion.

Iran mainly exports agricultural products, plastic and polyethylene commodities, steel products, car parts, and construction materials, such as stone, tiles and ceramics, as well as electrical and mechanical machinery, liquefied gas, hydrocarbons, and minerals to Iraq.

Earlier in mid-October, Secretary-General of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Hameed Hosseini announced that Iran's export to Iraq has registered a 45% growth in the first half of the current Iranian year (started on March 21).

According to the same source, while Iraq was the third export destination of Iranian goods and commodities, bilateral trade between the two countries has witnessed noticeable rise in the aforementioned period and now Iraq has "moved up to the second place in this year".

"Iraq's import from Iran was US$4.5b in the period, while that of China, the table topper in the list, was US$4.6b in the same period," he quoted the figures adding that the wee difference implies that Iraq may surpass China to the top of the list.

Hosseini also said that Iran has been the third provider of goods to Iraq, after China and Turkey. He voiced hope that the statistics and figures are recounting a trend that would lead to Iran's surpassing Turkey in Iraqi market.

According to Hosseini while Iran's export grew 14% in the half-year period between March 21 and September 22, the country's export to Iraq upped 45% in the same period.

To some experts, the rise in Iran's export to Iraq can be attributed to the victory of the Iraqi forces against ISIL terrorists, which led to the return of four, out of the six, million refugees to their homes, which provided a greater opportunity for Iran's presence in the market of food and construction materials in northern Iraq.

Referring to the US sanctions on Iran, Hosseini said that the only pressure the US can impose on Iraq is in the area of banking transactions with Iran. "And that's because 45% of the biggest Iraqi bank is owned by US JPMorgan Chase," he added. - Fars